A Quiet Moment
by sister yuffie
Summary: Sano and Megumi have a little heart to heart talk...


Sano grimly stared at the empty dojo. Damnit! They left him again! He cursed  
  
a variety of obscenities and sat down on the wooden floor right next to the  
  
training hall. His stomach growled reminding him of an opportunity he  
  
missed. He could practically imagine the delicious sukiyaki and the smell of  
  
the shabu-shabu. But no.fate would not even grant him this.this chance to  
  
feed himself a descent meal. Although eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at  
  
the dojo isn't what you might call an excruciating ordeal.but having rice  
  
balls every breakfast, lunch and dinner could even drive a sane man insane  
  
not to mention having tofu WITH the rice balls every single meal.  
  
No use waiting for them. He thought as he stood up and started to walk out  
  
of the dojo. Another rumbling was heard as he was just closing the dojo's  
  
doors. He grimaced yet again and held his stomach. That the damn thing was  
  
acting up again. He thought sourly as he took a step down the street,  
  
another rumbling was heard and a second later, he was soaking wet. "Shit."  
  
A woman ran across the street towards the dojo. "I could have sworn I had my  
  
medicine bag with me." She muttered as she entered the dojo and rushed  
  
towards the main hall.  
  
Sano removed his wet shirt and hung it on a makeshift clothesline he had  
  
tied inside the main hall. He took a step back and surveyed his handiwork.  
  
Pleased with the results, he then proceeded in unwrapping the wet bandages  
  
covering his body.  
  
Megumi literally stopped right in her tracks when she saw that she wasn't  
  
alone in the dojo. Warily staring at the half naked man in front of her.  
  
Megumi couldn't help but stare at his back. And how those muscles rippled  
  
when he bent down. Stop it! Megumi berated herself as she hesitantly took a  
  
step back then suddenly changed her mind. "So, it's only Sano. Just only  
  
Sano. " She chanted under her breath as she slowly walked behind him.  
  
"You look wet." A voice behind him drawled out.  
  
He stiffened and ignored the newcomer.  
  
"What's happened to you? Dunk yourself somewhere?" She teased as she stood  
  
right next to him.  
  
"None of your business fox." Sano growled out as he finished unwrapping his  
  
bandages and hanging them on the clothesline.  
  
Megumi looked at his hands and noticed that he hadn't removed the bandaged  
  
at all. "You should remove them."  
  
"Remove what?" Sano asked. As he busily fixed his bandages on the  
  
clothesline.  
  
"The bandage on your hands." She pointed out then added. "If you're having  
  
trouble with them, I am a doc--"  
  
"I don't need your help." Sano interrupted.  
  
"But, your bandages are wet. Your wounds aren't that properly healed yet.  
  
You know it might get an --"  
  
"Leave.me.alone." He tightly said as he stalked past her and sat right  
  
outside the training hall.  
  
Megumi couldn't help feeling hurt. What did she do now? She was just trying  
  
to help. She gazed after the man who sat by himself just outside the hall.  
  
He looks so.Megumi couldn't think of a word.he looks so.lonely. Megumi's  
  
heart went out to Sano. Ever since he got back from Nagasaki, he was colder  
  
and more distant from her. Megumi gripped her kimono and turned around to  
  
search for her medicine bag. To hell with him. We weren't even civil in the  
  
first place. She angrily said to herself. But inside she knew that it  
  
mattered. The downpour outside the dojo strengthened with every minute.  
  
Megumi sighed as she realized that she wasn't going anywhere until the rain  
  
stopped. Looking at the lone figure sitting by the hall. She was caught  
  
between just leaving him alone.but he looks so sad. An inner voice whispered  
  
in her ear. Megumi bit her lip as she fought an internal battle with  
  
herself.  
  
Funny how all of these months he'd still be thinking of her. Gazing at the  
  
rain, Sano leaned back on the wall behind him and remembered how he first  
  
met her. He'd been a rude bastard he mused. And she was a haughty as hell.  
  
He smiled to himself. He didn't know that girl had enough guts to slap him  
  
AND to even tell him that he was the most barbaric person in the world. And  
  
in retaliation, he told her that she was the most self-centered woman that  
  
he had ever met. Sano's smile faded. Magdaria.no, Sayo. So caught in his  
  
thoughts that he didn't notice another person sit next to him.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?"  
  
Sano broke out of his revelry and stared at the person next to him. Megumi.  
  
He knew he was harsh to her a few minutes ago. He was just so mad and he  
  
took his anger at her. He felt guilty at his total lack of self control.  
  
Megumi wasn't doing anything wrong. In fact it was nice of her to try help  
  
him.  
  
"I." Both of them said in unison.  
  
"You go first." Megumi began.  
  
"You're a woman. You go first." Sano rebutted.  
  
Megumi sighed. "Don't go chauvinistic on me pal. You wanted to say  
  
something. You go first."  
  
Sano shrugged. Megumi was always bossy and she prized her freedom. He  
  
wondered what type of man would she fall in love with.he shook his head as  
  
if to clear his unwanted thoughts. While Megumi waited patiently to listen  
  
to what Sano has to say.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Megumi's eyes widened. Sano was actually apologizing to her.  
  
Sano stared straight towards the rain. "What were you gonna say?"  
  
"Actually.I." Megumi hesitated hating to pry on other people's lives but she  
  
was just eaten with curiosity.  
  
"You were."  
  
"I was wondering.I mean what happened to you in Nagasaki?" Megumi blurted  
  
out. That was tactful. She reprimanded herself as she stared at the man  
  
beside her.  
  
An uncomfortable silence descended upon the pair as Sano just stared on his  
  
bandaged hands. "She was a good nurse." He began still staring at his  
  
bandages. "Even though she knew I was the enemy, she still took care of my  
  
wounds."  
  
Megumi felt a lump in her throat. So it was another woman. Megumi felt so  
  
empty. It was the same feeling she had before she met Kenshin. "Did you love  
  
her?" Megumi couldn't believe she asked that question.  
  
Sano closed his eyes as if to block out any painful memories. "I would  
  
have.if only we've met earlier." He remembered those words from Sayo's lips  
  
as she was dying in his arms.  
  
"What happened?" Megumi didn't understand her need. Her need to know about  
  
this woman who has somehow managed to touch this ex-gangster's heart.  
  
"She died."  
  
"Oh." It was the only word Megumi could say at the moment.  
  
Sano then opened his eyes and a faint grin touched his lips. "You know  
  
what.when I think about it. she kinds of reminded me of you." He turned  
  
towards Megumi. "Although.she WAS much more prettier." He added.  
  
Megumi felt relieved. This was the Sano that she knew. "Oh yeah.who would be  
  
blind enough to even look at you." She haughtily retorted back.  
  
Sano grinned at her. "Who knows."  
  
Megumi felt her heart skip a beat. Stop it. She scolded herself. He was just  
  
teasing you. The rain, which mysteriously started, suddenly stopped. Megumi  
  
noticing this knew that she had to get back to her clinic. Standing up and  
  
grabbing her medicine bag, she awkwardly said goodbye to Sano and went on  
  
her way towards the clinic.her thoughts troubled by what he said.  
  
Sano watched Megumi leave the dojo and couldn't help but grin. The fox  
  
always restored his good mood with a good verbal debate. His stomach rumbled  
  
again reminding him that he had just missed lunch. Sano sighed as he entered  
  
the dojo and checked his clothes. He bet that Kenshin wouldn't mind fixing  
  
him something. 


End file.
